Published April 21, 2016
For one West Leadership Academy student, renovations and a robotics lab could open the door to a career in computer programming.West Leadership Academy freshman Enrico Blackwell hopes the class “Exploring Robots” will land him a spot in the school’s AP computer science program next year.
Read More »Published April 20, 2016
“This is the kind of building all kids should have.” Denver voters help create more classrooms for young learners in Northeast Denver.A dedicated teacher with a passion for preschool students, Michelle Farrell once struggled to create an environment that felt suited for young learners in her windowless classroom.
Read More »Published April 19, 2016
School as “el centro.” How Escuela Valdez took its place as the center of a community in Northwest Denver.Erin Busken, an Escuela Valdez parent with three daughters, said the school wasn’t always at the top of her family’s list. “When we first started looking at Valdez… it just didn’t seem happy in there,” Erin said. “The building was old, with not a lot of light.”
Read More »Published April 18, 2016
At Pascual LeDoux Academy, preschoolers learn and play in a school that’s designed specifically for the young — and the young-at-heart.Walking through Pascual LeDoux Academy, you might feel like Alice in Wonderland. And the school’s teachers and support staff wouldn’t have it any other way.
Read More »Published April 15, 2016
What difference does student voice make in school design? Denver’s 2012 bond and mill levy gave one Southmoor Elementary student the chance to be heard in a too-noisy school.After five years at Southmoor Elementary, fourth-grade student Dean Trujillo had a lot of ideas about making his school a better place to learn. But it wasn’t until he was part of the school’s design advisory committee, with Southmoor parent Sarah Onley and his fourth-grade teacher Kristen Neumann, that he felt his ideas would be heard.
Read More »Published April 14, 2016
Bills or Boy Scouts? How one school reduced parents’ tough choices, with help from Denver voters.Liz Graham works hard to give her son, Andy, as many educational opportunities as possible. But without extra money for extracurriculars, she faced some impossible choices.
Read More »Published April 13, 2016
When should chemistry be less challenging? A South High School senior explains how bond funding saved science.For South High School senior Sarah Nichols, conducting chemistry experiments was hard … but not for the right reasons.
Read More »Published April 12, 2016
How can school space impact a community? A Slavens parent and daughter discuss how an expanded school saved tight-knit relationships.Annie Humphrey moved her family to Denver’s Wellshire neighborhood to enroll her kindergartner Kate in a K-8 learning community seven years ago. For a while, Slavens K-8 School was perfect – until it started to run out of space.
Read More »Published April 11, 2016
Perhaps more than anyone else, moms need some space. Thanks to 2012 bond funds, pregnant and parenting teens have the room they need to learn.Florence Crittenton High School welcomes pregnant and and parenting teens, like seniors Jade-Marie Burgess and Naira Gonzalez, who are working to complete their high-school education. Until recently, however, teachers and students thought their learning environment felt like anything but a school.
Read More »Published April 10, 2016
“If you build it, they will come.” A high-performing school gets more room to meet high demand.Former PTA president and Brown International Academy parent Nicole Kazenske worked hard helping make her neighborhood school the choice for parents in northwest Denver. But she never guessed the success could hamper student learning.
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